Aspiring influencer Jamieson May, based in Melbourne, announced she is taking a break from social media after facing backlash over a video she posted about a restaurant that declined her collaboration offer.
May, who describes herself as a “travel, lifestyle, fashion, and food creator,” shared this decision in an Instagram story on Tuesday night, stating, “Heading offline for a few days,” accompanied by a purple heart emoji.
The Incident with Patsy’s Restaurant
The controversy began after May posted a video last month criticizing Patsy’s, a vegetarian restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD.
In the nearly three-minute video, she expressed shock at the restaurant’s blunt response to her marketing proposal.
May had reached out to Patsy’s via Instagram, offering to create marketing content for them.
The restaurant replied, “You don’t seem to have any followers, maybe you should approach us when you have over 100k.”
May’s Reaction to the Rejection
May, who has 15,600 followers on Instagram and over 9,000 on TikTok, described herself as “gobsmacked” and labeled the restaurant’s response as “extremely rude.”
She voiced her frustration in the video, stating, “I’m absolutely gobsmacked. I had no words. I was actually disgusted that someone could say that to another person. This is clearly someone not in marketing—they don’t understand literally anything.”
Backlash from Social Media Users
However, May’s online rant backfired, drawing a flood of criticism from social media users. Many accused her of being an entitled influencer seeking free services.
The comments under her video were eventually disabled due to the volume of negative responses.
May explained, “When I first outed the restaurant on TikTok, it reached the wrong audience of non-creators and influencers who didn’t understand what was happening. People sent extremely rude comments that I am just an entitled influencer who just wants ‘free’ stuff and I am complaining about it all.”
Defending Her Position
In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, May defended her actions, insisting that she never asked for a free service but was objecting to what she perceived as poor customer service from Patsy’s. “I am standing up for small creators who might have amazing content but don’t get the recognition they deserve,” she said.
She also noted that her audience and fellow content creators supported her stance, while non-creators misunderstood her intentions.
Patsy’s Restaurant Responds
Patsy’s, owned by restaurateurs Mathew Guthrie and Clinton Trevisi, stood by their decision. Guthrie explained their perspective, saying, “Her followers are not really people that we have in the venue often and probably not the market that we are looking to engage with.”
He suggested that May’s post was an attempt to increase her visibility through controversy. “It, sort of, has worked already but I am not sure how it will be able to be monetised as marketing,” he added.
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